Ways around it

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Hi All, I quit my first nursing job because I was tired of being yelled at and being made fond of in front of my patients by my preceptors. I was bullied, insulted, and I cried everyday on my way to work. I quit during orientation because I didnt have the energy to take it anymore. I had a total of 10 preceptors.. needless to say stability was a problem here. One night, everything was moving kind of slow and my preceptor had to help another coworker with a colostomy. I asked if I could tag along because I didn't get to experience that in nursing school so I wanted to see how to handle the situation.. my preceptor rolled her eyes and whispered under her breath to the other nurses "I'm so sick of her with all of these ***** * questions". I was floored. I reported the situation to my NM and she said she would take care of it. Nothing!! One of my other preceptors said very rudely one night "I don't have time to babysit". Another time the nurse manager said that I had no right to ask the nursing assistant to change a patient when I wasn't busy. Ha!! I was in the middle of passing meds, trying to calm down a pt with Alzheimers and was urinating in the floor and dealing with an upset family member.. all at once-- on ORIENTATION lol. So, I quit. I gave my notice and was told there was no need to stay the whole 2 weeks because I wasn't gonna affect pt/nurse ratio. Now I get an email saying, I'm on the do not rehire list because I didn't give notice and they would share this with my future employers if I needed them as a reference. How did this happen and how can I get around it? I have NO intentions of going back there but I don't want them to give me a bad name. I didn't do anything wrong (except jumping to the first job that came along). Can they put this information on my background check? This is so unfair. I worked so hard for my license and someone comes along and tried to throw me under the bus. I'm crying as I type this. This one job has definitely spoiled nursing for me.

That is horrible. I feel bad you had to go through all of that. This place has problems and I would not be surprised if they had a high turn over rate. I'm not sure what you would do. I always thought background checks just focused on arrests/convictions/etc so I don't think they would know about this employer? However, just in case I still think you need to put them down on your resume (though not necessarily as a reference) just because honesty is always the best policy. In future interviews you should mention that you and the unit just was not a good fit and that their were issues that compromised your integrity. Good luck!

I think all they can do is say you worked for them and that you were not elligible for rehire. It won't go on your background check. I doubt you'd be the first nurse with this situation. I would go with what the other poster said and say the unit was not a good fit for you. Good luck!

I'm guessing if you gave the manager your notice in writing then you should have a copy. If I were you I would go to the hospital and show the 2 week notice to HR and explain what the manager told you regarding not finishing the 2 weeks. If you gave notice, you did your part and the truth is you wouldn't affect the ratios so why would you not be eligible for rehire.

How unfortunate that your first job as a nurse ended like this. You weren't treated fairly at all. Sadly you're not alone. If you live in a right-to-work state there's not a whole lot you can do to mitigate this situation either. Essentially, the "right to work" means that there are few controls on employers other than those clearly spelled out in labour law in that state. They can fire you on a whim, cut back your hours without telling you, reduce your PTO without telling you, pay you less than your coworkers without explanation and all manner of heinous acts. One overarching lesson in this is that you always get everything in writing, you always make copies of everything you exchange with your employer and you understand all the conditions of employment so you know how to act when things aren't to your liking. Typically (in those areas where right-to-work ISN'T in effect) if an employee is still within the probationary period set out by the employer - usually the first 3 months of employment - either party can sever the relationship without having to give reasons or notice and with no repercussions on either side. That's where the "not a good fit" reason for leaving comes in. Being on a do-not-rehire list could be significant to another employer, or it could signify very little, depending on what's already known to the person screening applicants about that employer. Health care is a fairly small world and word gets around when a unit or facility is a particularly horrible work environment... places like the one you left. If you've only been on the job for a short time, you could choose to leave it off your resume completely, since the "experience" you accrued there won't make any real difference to your suitability for other entry-level nursing jobs. Not all workplaces are this bad, but you may find that there are a lot that aren't a great deal better. Maybe you could chat with one of your nursing school clinical instructors about where to apply to ensure you find a good spot next time.

Thanks everyone for your replies and advice. Im still shaken up by this whole ordeal. I did print copies of what I gave to my NM as well as the emails we sent back and forth about my resignation. I guess my question is, how would future employers know that I was on the "do not rehire list" if I dont mention my previous employer? What gets me kind of tangled up is the "previous employers" spot on applications and I know there is a place where you can say you dont want them to be contacted, but this doesnt necessraily stop that employer from asking me about the situation and then BOOM. I just want to start over..somewhere were I can learn and grow and not be belittled for not being SUPER NURSE. I understand that nowhere is perfect and there will always be something about the job that I dislike, but I shouldnt have to sacrifice my dignity or cry on my way to work. I would come home and complain to my husband about the job nonstop or I would be too depressed to build blocks with my 2 year old. Should I explain to other employers that I did resign properly and there was a mix up or should I just put it on the past work history and hope they dont ask about it lol? This is so nuts. Again, I thank you all for your replies. Its just ashame that I worked my a** off in school, and now someone wants to ruin my name because they didnt have the guts to run their place properly. UGH

I'm certainly not defending any of the actions of your former employer, but it's v. common for healthcare employers to have a policy of tagging anyone who resigns during orientation as "do not rehire," regardless of whether you gave notice or not. However, plenty of other people have been in your situation and it didn't destroy their careers. Pick yourself up and start thinking about, and practicing, how to talk about this situation in future interviews without badmouthing the (previous) employer. "It wasn't a good fit" is the standard cliche' in nursing. Resist the temptation, in future interviews, however tempting it may be, to start explaining about how badly you were treated and what a poor work environment it was.

As for whether or not to include that position on your resume' and future applications, did you work there long enough to get at least one paycheck? It's up to you whether you make potential employers aware of your time with them, but, if you got paychecks from them, that information could turn up on a background or credit check (and growing numbers of healthcare employers are now doing credit checks as part of the hiring process). Also, nursing tends to be a small "club" and managers at facilities/organizations in the same community tend to be in communication with each other. If an application specifically asks for all your previous employers (or all your previous employers in the last X years), you omit this employer, and someone in nursing or HR at a potential employer happens to find out, one way or another, many (most?) organizations consider that a level of dishonesty that disqualifies you from employment. It would be a shame to miss out on other, better opportunities for that reason, esp. when so many other nurses have found themselves, at one time or another, in the same situation you're in now (and survived ).

Elkpark you are exactly right. I do need to start thinking about how to talk about that experience without badmouthing them. Some people may be more understanding than I think (hopefully). Thanks everyone for your replies. I have started job hunting again, although I am definitely scared about the whole process.

Good news everyone..I GOT A JOB lol!!!! At the interview, I was open and honest and told the interviewer about the previous job and that it just wasnt for me. I changed the subject and talked about how I thanked her for meeting with me. 3 days later and I got the BIG phone call. LOL Thanks everyone